Hearings on ELCA Draft Social Statement

March 12, 2018

Several conferences are holding hearings on the Draft Social Statement. Encourage members in your congregation to read the statement and send representatives to a hearing in your area. Attendees should bring their copy of the statement and be prepared to articulate comments and suggestions about the wording of the document.

KALAMAZOO

Thursday, April 19, 6:30pm

St Peter Lutheran Church

1079 Riverside Dr

Battle Creek MI 49015

269-963-4170

TRAVERSE

Sunday, April 22, 2:00pm

Advent Lutheran Church

8481 Lake Ann Rd

Lake Ann MI 49650

231-275-8031

CAPITAL

Tuesday, May 8, 6:30pm

St Paul Lutheran Church

3383 E Lake Lansing Rd

East Lansing MI 48823

517-351-8541

BAY

Monday, May 14, 6:30pm

Ascension Lutheran Church

8695 Gratiot Rd

Saginaw MI 48609

989-781-2170

The task force published the study “Faith, Sexism, Justice: Conversations Toward a Social Statement” in 2016 to invite deliberation and response throughout the ELCA. Responses to that study have been tabulated and reported to the task force. Drawing from this learning and the feedback to the study, the task force has written the draft, and it represents its best thinking to date about these issues. This draft has unanimous support from the task force for discussion by our church although all task force members may not agree with all aspects of the content.

Hearings are not designed for interactive discussion, but they offer participants about an hour-and-a-half to share their comments on the text as it now stands. A task force representative is present at each hearing to listen to all comments; a synod recorder takes notes. The task force will receive reports from these hearings as part of the process for revising the draft for 2019.